Chicagoland high school football rankings: Get Mike McGraw’s Top 25 for the 1st round of the playoffs

Providence is the only ranked team that needed to come through with an opening-round win in the expanded IHSA playoffs.

Last week’s rankings in parentheses.

1. Lincoln-Way East 9-0 (1): The Griffins’ defense has been lights out, allowing 6.4 points a game over the last seven weeks with three shutouts.

NEXT: Friday vs. Oak Park-River Forest.

2. Mount Carmel 7-2 (2): Head coach Jordan Lynch made the most of his bye week. He became the fifth player in NIU football history to have his number retired.

NEXT: Friday vs. Marist.

3. Loyola 8-1 (3): Will the season’s first loss make the Ramblers even more dangerous? Thanks to the expanded playoffs, they’ve had a week to stew about the Mount Carmel result.

NEXT: Friday vs. Minooka.

4. Brother Rice 7-2 (4): Freshman quarterback Sam Holcomb has helped lead a balanced offense with 1,500 combined yards passing and rushing.

NEXT: Saturday vs. St. Charles North.

5. IC Catholic 8-1 (5): Sophomore running back Jakobe Baldwin has 1,124 yards rushing on the season, while senior quarterback Nate Lang has thrown for 1,782 yards.

NEXT: Friday vs. Genoa-Kingston.

6. Hersey 9-0 (6): Kentucky-bound quarterback Jake Nawrot has thrown for 31 touchdowns with no interceptions and a 72% completion rate.

NEXT: Friday vs. Yorkville.

7. Oswego 8-1 (7): Last year’s Class 8A state runner-up has relied heavily on junior running back Ammar Banire, who already has five Big Ten offers.

NEXT: Friday vs. Naperville Central.

8. Geneva 8-1 (8): The Vikings’ offense is soaring — Bennett Konkey has 1,400 yards receiving, while Nelson Wendell has rushed for 1,125 and Ben Peterson has 2,677 through the air.

NEXT: Saturday vs. Carmel.

9. Huntley 9-0 (9): Quarterback Malik Carter and running back Chase Hojnacki, both juniors, have combined to account for 50 TDs.

NEXT: Friday vs. Oswego East.

10. St. Ignatius 7-2 (10): Sophomore running back Nino Capuano rolled up 1,330 yards rushing this season and was named the Catholic League Orange’s offensive player of the year.

NEXT: Friday vs. West Aurora.

11. Downers Grove North 8-1 (11): The Trojans have played in 12 postseason games the past three years, the most successful stretch in school history.

NEXT: Friday vs. West Chicago.

12. Batavia 7-2 (12): Few players are as dangerous as Wyoming-bound quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren, who has gone beyond 3,000 combined yards rushing and passing.

NEXT: Friday vs. Lincoln-Way Central.

13. Bolingbrook 8-1 (13): After dropping the season opener to Homewood-Flossmoor, the Raiders are riding an eight-game winning streak and handed Oswego its only loss.

NEXT: Friday vs. Lockport.

14. Maine South 8-1 (14): Only twice this century have the Hawks failed to win at least one playoff game. They have a five-year streak of reaching the quarterfinals.

NEXT: Saturday vs. O’Fallon.

15. Prospect 8-1 (15): The Knights have faced a Catholic League opponent already this season, beating St. Laurence in Week 2, and now open the playoffs against another one.

NEXT: Friday vs. DePaul Prep.

16. Montini 7-2 (16): While quarterback Izzy Abrams was named the Catholic League Green’s player of the year, the Broncos also have the lineman of the year in Gavin Ericson-Staton.

NEXT: Saturday vs. Geneseo.

17. Homewood-Flossmoor 7-2 (17): The Vikings will host a playoff game for the first time since 2019 and meet up with Conant, which just got its first playoff win in 15 years.

NEXT: Friday vs. Conant.

18. Morgan Park 8-1 (18): Senior defensive end Milen Porter has been a disruptor this season with seven sacks, 13 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

NEXT: Saturday vs. Oak Forest

19. Providence 7-3 (19): Broden Mackert scored two TDs in an opening-round win over Mount Vernon, but now the Celtics face a tougher challenge.

NEXT: Saturday at Kankakee.

20. St. Rita 6-3 (20): Senior quarterback John Fennell, who started at linebacker as a junior, has led a steady offense with help from running back Brandon Johnson Jr.

NEXT: Friday vs. Buffalo Grove.

21. Fenwick 6-3 (21): Iowa commit Jake Thies is again one of the most explosive players in the area with 1,121 combined yards rushing and receiving. He’s also scored 18 TDs.

NEXT: Friday vs. Highland Park.

22. Sandburg 7-2 (22): The Eagles haven’t won a playoff game since 2010 and face a challenge in MSL West champ Barrington, which came alive after an 0-4 start.

NEXT: Friday vs. Barrington.

23. Morris 9-0 (23): Junior quarterback Marion Persich, at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, has more than 2,000 combined yards through the air and on the ground.

NEXT: Friday vs. Tinley Park.

24. York 7-3 (24): Downers Grove South won the West Suburban Gold, but York played in the much tougher Silver division.

NEXT: Friday at Downers Grove South.

25. New Trier 8-1 (25): Purdue-bound quarterback Jackie Ryder is closing in on 2,000 yards passing heading into this week’s CSL South rematch.

NEXT: Friday vs. Glenbrook South.

Others to watch: Antioch, Jacobs, Wheaton Warrenville South, Libertyville, Kaneland, Plainfield South, Kankakee.